Honolulu attorney Michael D. Formby has been named deputy director of harbors at the state Department of Transportation, effective Aug. 1, a news release said.

Formby will fill the position previously held by Barry Fukunaga, who is now the director of the state Department of Transportation.

Formby is president and treasurer of Frame Formby and O'Kane Attorneys at Law and is a senior trial lawyer there.

His clients include several Hawai'i companies that provide shipping, cargo, marine transportation and dredging services, as well as cruise lines and other harbor users, a news release from the administration of Gov. Linda Lingle said.

"Mike has extensive experience in working with Hawai'i's maritime community, which has given him a strong understanding of the diverse needs of harbor users throughout the state," Lingle said in the release.

Formby previously served as managing partner of Alcantara, Frame and Formby, and was an associate attorney for the Law Offices of Michael F. McCarthy.

In the 1980s, he worked as a contracting officer for the Air Force, serving at Hickam Air Force Base and at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts.

Formby is an adjunct professor of admiralty law at the University of Hawai'i's law school.

He has also served as an adjunct professor of business law at Hawai'i Pacific University.

In 2004, Formby was appointed to the Land Use Commission and currently serves as its vice chairman.